Beginnings
by JaeKay
Summary: Ever wondered how Panem started? Here's my version of what happened. All my own characters. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi, everyone. This is my first FanFiction, so go easy, but please give lots of constructive criticism. This story does not contain any characters from the Hunger Games, but is my version of the beginnings of Panem. I don't reference the Hunger Games until much later in the story, so hang in there. It's coming. Eventually. And I abhor having to write author's notes, so this is likely the only one from here on out. All I own is the plot.

**Beginnings**

It all started with a trip to one of the most awesome museums ever: The Smithsonian. My class and the senior class were there to study history and look at all of the cool stuff. I was one of the only excited ones.

We split into groups and I was placed with Macy Meriwether, Colton Nottingham, and Colton Henley. Two girls, two boys.

I was upset because there were no older girls to keep the guys into check. That meant it was left to me and Macy to do it. Macy and I were in the bathroom before the groups were supposed to meet.

"I can't believe both of the seniors are guys. So not fair." She said. I totally agreed with her. The senior guys at our school were known to goof off.

"I know, right? This is not going to be fun with them breathing down our necks."

"Anyway. Don't you think that Colton is so cute?"

I rolled my eyes. "Which one?"

"Oh." She laughed. "The taller one. He looks at you a lot. I think he likes you."

"Really? He likes me? A lowly sophomore?" I asked sarcastically.

"I know. Weird, right?"

I glanced down at my watch. A communique had come in.

I didn't mention anything about me? Sorry. I was a spy. I worked for the CIA. My branch of the agency put sleeper agents in private schools. Needless to say, I was a sleeper. I laid in wait until the Agency gave me the orders to begin investigating, tagging, protecting, ousting, tailing, recruiting, or just keeping the peace.

I loved my job. And I couldn't wait to see what my assignment would be at the prestigious museum.

I glanced at Macy and back at my watch. "I'm going to get a water bottle. 'Kay?" I asked cheerily.

"Sure. I've just got to fix my makeup real quick and I'll be right out." She replied. But I didn't hear her. All I was focused on was that I was finally getting a mission after who knows how long.

I stepped outside the bathroom and put my back to a wall underneath a staircase that pretty well hid my subtle actions from the curious passersby. I had a clear view of the front doors and the bathroom door I was expecting Macy to exit in approximately five minutes.

I clicked the button on the side of the watch and a holographic menu popped up. My fingers flew across the keyboard as I typed in the well-practiced password and I waited a half second for the message to load.

The queue read: 'We have located an enemy agent on your school field trip. It could be a teacher or student, so be cautious. Your mission is to distinguish the agent from the crowd, foil his mission, and at a later date your are to learn his secrets. Understood?'

I typed back: 'Understood. Do we have a description?'

A reply came almost instantly: 'Male. Tall. That's all HQ has on him.'

'Do I get to know which agency he works for?'

'Classified.'

'Age?'

'Undetermined. But he is most likely an older male. Probably a teacher.'

'There aren't any male teachers on the trip.'

'Then your target is in the tenth or twelfth grade.'

'No kidding.'

'Any other questions, Agent K13?'

I loved my name. 'One more. What is HIS mission?'

'To locate and expose you. Keep your eyes peeled, be careful, and, as always, good luck.'

The green dot next to 'Agency' switched to a gray one with a cross through it. I switched off the holographic keyboard and screen.

"What are you doing?"


	2. Chapter 2

I jumped and was instantly grateful for the fact that I had just shut off my watch. It was the tall Colton. "Just re-setting my watch. I think it's a bit off."

"But you don't have any way to know that. You don't have another clock." I might have been impressed.

"Of course I do." I slipped my hand into my back pocket and unlocked my phone behind my back before showing it to him. "I had to put it up in order to move the dial on the watch."

"Sure. We're meeting over by the claw machine in five." He turned and walked away. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding.

**I **almost got caught. I almost got **caught**. **I **didn't **get** caught. What had happened? Was I so excited for my first mission in weeks that my observational skills were suffering? That can't happen. The enemy agent might find me before I even find out which grade he's in.

I looked back to the restroom door where Macy was mid-exit. She looked down at her phone and texted someone before continuing through the door. A couple of girls behind her grumbled and exchanged exasperated looks.

I smiled and strode over to her. That was my best friend. If I told her I was a spy, she would probably laugh, but if I told her I was moving to Antarctica, she'd offer for her parents to adopt me. I loved her.

"There you are. Are we late? Did I miss anything?"

"Nope. We meet the seniors by the claw machine in a couple of minutes."

As we walked around, I casually looked at all of the boys from my school. There weren't many. There were the boys in my grade-none of which I would ever consider to be a real spy. They were all too...immature.

Oscar was standing with Kyle and Mason. I ruled out Oscar. He was slightly autistic. And he couldn't keep a secret for all the money in the world. Kyle was a know-it-all. He had horrible conversational skills and was physically awkward. LMason, well, Mason was...Mason. He was so smart, but didn't have the skills or body build for a spy. He also had zero self-confidence.

Then there was the group that was goofing off in the MacDonald's and flirting with the cashier girls. Easy was a loud mouth and about as good at keeping a secret as Oscar. He was athletic, but too showy. I added to him to my mental list of maybe's. Taylor was an average boy. He played several sports and his academic skills weren't exactly sharp. I added him, as well. Standing next to Taylor was Dale. I didn't know much about him. He went under Taylor's name. There was Sean, standing in the background and laughing at the blushing girls. He definitely was not a spy. He just didn't have it in him. I crossed off Macy's twin, Kenneth, and Destiny's brother, Salvatore. Mark was standing next to Sean and watching the whole spectacle. I added him, then quickly crossed him off. He was the strong, silent type, but he had short-term memory loss. That, or he just never listened. I crossed off Fabio. No way. The other Taylor was another no way. I knew his sister. And dad. Just...no.

That was all of the sophomores. I didn't know any of the seniors and, now, I was beginning to regret it. The only one I knew was the tall Colton. And I only knew him because he had teased me all of last year. It was awkward.

Anyways, as I casually glanced around, I failed to notice that Macy had started talking.

"So, I thought it was a great idea. You don't?"

"I-I'm sorry. What?"

"I said that we should check out the history and science first to get it out of the way, then we should go to the physics wing and gem vault later on when there's not that much of a crowd."

"Oh, yeah. I love it. But you'll have to convince the senior guys that we should do the educational stuff first. And I, personally, wanted to go to the music wing. You know, to see the old-timey violins and basses."

"Music? Kelly, I admire your passion, but no one else will want to go to the music museum. No way."

"Music?" We had walked up on the Colton's. The funny one was talking. "I love music! Colton, we should totally go to see Elvis's guitar and check out the Beatles' instruments. You up for it?"

"As long as we get to look at the country music section. The rest is a bore."

I lowered my voice so only Macy could hear me. "We're going to the music museum. Look at that." Her face spoke volumes of her imminent boredom.

"What about going to the science and history buildings first, so that we can go to the fun stuff when everyone else has cleared out?" Macy voiced her opinion.

"That sounds good." The tall Colton replied. "Then we can go to the music museum and the art hall. Maybe we'll even get into the gem vault and the halls of fame for sports and movie stars."

"Tight, Man." The funny one said. "This is going to be awesome. It just stinks that we couldn't pick our groups. No offense."

"None taken." Macy interjected. "We totally would have picked a completely different group. No offense."

"Right back at 'cha." The funny one drawled.

The tall one looked at me but didn't say anything. I was beginning to get uncomfortable. I wished Macy would say something. We were just standing there in a weird silence. It was really awkward.

Mrs. Lalo's voice rose over everyone else's through the microphone. "Quiet everyone. We hope you enjoy yourselves at the museum today and the gala and your hotels tonight. Remember. You are required to check in at the science and history buildings for at least thirty minutes during the day. Have fun."

She turned us loose, but no one from my group moved. The majority of the flock of kids was headed towards the sports hall of fame, so we waited for the dust to clear before we proceeded against the flow to the empty history wing.

The whole time, I was hurrying to catch up with the rest of my group. I was fascinated by the Ancient Chinese, Titanic, and 9-11 exhibits. Let's just say, no one else held my enthusiasm for anything except the 9-11 one. Everyone, even Macy, was interested in that one.

"Come on!" Macy called from around the corner.

"Be right there! This CIA exhibit is just amazing! Did you know that they have code words for almost everything?" I was suddenly reminded that I was not here to have a good time. I had work to do. And if someone in my group was the mole, I was falling down on my job.

I sped around the corner and bumped into the tall Colton's shoulder.

"Sorry, so sorry." I mumbled in a tone just loud enough for him to hear.

My watch beeped frantically. A light shone next to the signal that was supposed to stand for 'Wire Proximity.' That meant that every time I came within ten feet of a wire, it buzzed.

I shot a sly look around and took a few mental pictures of the people surrounding me. My group was standing nearby talking about how boring the required museums had been. A group containing Oscar, Destiny, a senior named Paige, and a senior football player was entering the science building not far away. Yet another with Taylor Reilly, Taylor Queens, Leslie Granger, and Shelby Ericson was headed out of the history building in the same direction as us.

I was so confused. I had four males on my radar, and I didn't know a single one of them. None of them even looked suspicious. We walked to the front desk and picked up our cells from where we had deposited them earlier. The proximity alarm had shut off, but my watch was still vibrating. Why hadn't it been vibrating earlier? The only males within ten feet now were the ones in my group. And yet it still buzzed against my wrist.

"Having problems?" Macy came out of nowhere and noticed my vibrating watch. "Girl, your watch has serious issues. I mean, who has ever heard of a watch that vibrates?" She was addressing the boys in our group.

"Not me. Never heard of a watch that vibrates. Is it special order? Like, from a Swiss manufacturer or something?" The funny one suddenly got serious. I logged his reaction.

"Uh, no. I got it from Academy."

Macy became confused. "And it's been vibrating since you got it? You need to take it back. It's probably broken or something."

I loved her, but for a natural black haired beauty, she sure acted like a blonde.

"Okay, well, I think my watch is fine, and if I think it's fine, it's fine. 'Kay Mace?" I took a deep breath. "So, where are we going next?"

"Science building, Ditz. Let's go."


End file.
